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Tokyo vs Shanghai
The short answer
Shanghai is the cheaper trip, by roughly 35% a day — $55–105 against $90–150 mid-range per person. Both are at their best in Mar–May, Oct–Nov, so one trip can take in both.
Side by side
Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way — see how we work these out.
| 🇯🇵 Tokyo | 🇨🇳 Shanghai | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $90–150 | $55–105cheaper |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $4–8 | $2.50–5cheaper |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $100–200 | $60–130cheaper |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $1.20–2.20 | $0.40–0.85cheaper |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | ≈ $2,200 | ≈ $1,550 |
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
Tokyo
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Mar–May, Oct–Nov
Shanghai
JFMAMJJASOND
Mar–May, Sep–Nov
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.
🇯🇵 Tokyo
The world's biggest city, and somehow its most orderly. Cheaper than you expect, cleaner than you imagined, and impossible to see in one trip.
- Golden Gai$$Nightlife
- Tsukiji Outer Market$$Restaurants
- Kabukiza Theatre$$Theater & shows
- Bar High Five$$$Nightlife
- Ichiran (Shibuya)$Restaurants
🇨🇳 Shanghai
China's futuristic showcase: a neon-lit skyline across the river from 1920s European facades, and a metro that will out-engineer anything back home.
- Long Bar, Waldorf Astoria on the Bund$$$Nightlife
- Nanxiang Mantou Dian$Restaurants
- ERA – Intersection of Time, Shanghai Circus World$$$Acrobatics & shows
- Wulumuqi Road / Julu Road (French Concession)$$Nightlife
- Old Jesse$$Restaurants
Practicalities
| Tokyo | Shanghai | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Japanese. English signage is good in stations; spoken English is limited — translation apps work fine. | Mandarin Chinese (Shanghainese spoken locally). English signage is decent in the center; spoken English is inconsistent — lean on a translation app. |
| Currency | Japanese yen (¥). US$1 ≈ ¥150 | Renminbi / yuan (¥ or RMB). US$1 ≈ ¥7.2 |
| Time zone | JST (UTC+9), no daylight saving | CST (UTC+8), no daylight saving |
| Power | Type A/B plugs, 100V (US plugs fit) | Type A/C/I plugs, 220V |
| Tap water | Safe to drink everywhere | Don't drink it — bottled or boiled water everywhere |
| Emergency | 110 police · 119 fire/ambulance | 110 police · 120 ambulance · 119 fire |
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